1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to synthetic fibers, especially synthetic fibers used in the manufacture of non-woven fabrics. In particular, the present invention relates to processes and apparatus for the production of polymer fibers and filaments. More specifically, the present invention relates to skin-core fibers produced using melt spin processes, including short spin and long spin processes, and to articles incorporating these skin-core fibers.
2. Background Information
The production of polymer fibers and filaments usually involves the use of a mix of a single polymer with nominal amounts of stabilizers and pigments. The mix is melt extruded into fibers and fibrous products using conventional commercial processes. Non-woven fabrics are typically made by making a web of the fibers, and then thermally bonding the fibers are converted into non-woven fabrics using, for example, a carding machine, and the carded fabric is thermally bonded. The thermal bonding can be achieved using various heating techniques, including heating with heated rollers and heating through the use of ultrasonic welding.
Conventional thermally bonded non-woven fabrics exhibit good loft and softness properties, but less than optimal cross-directional strength, and less than optimal cross-directional strength in combination with high elongation. The strength of the thermally bonded non-woven fabrics depends upon the orientation of the fibers and the inherent strength of the bond points.
Over the years, improvements have been made in fibers which provide stronger bond strengths. However, further improvements are needed to provide even higher fabric strengths to permit use of these fabrics in today's high speed converting processes for hygiene products, such as diapers and other types of incontinence products. In particular, there is a need for a thermally bondable fiber and a resulting non-woven fabric that possess high cross-directional strength and high elongation.
Further, there is a need to produce thermally bondable fibers that can achieve superior cross-directional strength, elongation and toughness properties in combination with fabric uniformity and loftiness. In particular, there is a need to obtain fibers that can produce carded, calendared fabrics with cross-directional properties on the order of at least 650 g/in, with an elongation of 140-180%, and a toughness of 480-700 g/in for a 20 g/yd.sup.2 fabric bonded at speeds as high as 500 ft/min or more.
A number of patent applications, as referred to above, have been filed by the present inventor and the present assignee which are directed to improvements in polymer degradation, spin and quench steps, and extrusion compositions that enable the production of fibers having an improved ability to thermally bond accompanied by the ability to produce non-woven fabric having increased strength, elongation, toughness and integrity.
In particular, the above-referred to Kozulla Application Ser. Nos. 07/474,897, 07/887,416, 07/683,635, 07/836,438, and 07/939,857 are directed to processes for preparing polypropylene containing fibers by extruding polypropylene containing material having a molecular weight distribution of at least about 5.5 to form hot extrudate having a surface, with quenching of the hot extrudate in an oxygen containing atmosphere being controlled so as to effect oxidative chain scission degradation of the surface. For example, the quenching of the hot extrudate in an oxygen containing atmosphere can be controlled so as to maintain the temperature of the hot extrudate above about 250.degree. C. for a period of time to obtain oxidative chain scission degradation of the surface.
As disclosed in these applications, by controlling the quenching to obtain oxidative chain scission degradation of the surface, the resulting fiber essentially contains a plurality of zones, defined by different characteristics including differences in melt flow rate, molecular weight, melting point, birefringence, orientation and crystallinity. In particular, as disclosed in these applications, the fiber produced by the delayed quench process includes an inner zone identified by a substantial lack of oxidative polymeric degradation, an outer zone of a high concentration of oxidative chain scission degraded polymeric material, and an intermediate zone identified by an inside-to-outside increase in the amount of oxidative chain scission polymeric degradation. In other words, the quenching of the hot extrudate in an oxygen containing atmosphere can be controlled so as to obtain a fiber having a decreasing weight average molecular weight towards the surface of the fiber, and an increasing melt flow rate towards the surface of the fiber. For example, the fiber comprises an inner zone having a weight average molecular weight of about 100,000 to 450,000 grams/mole, an outer zone, including the surface of the fiber, having a weight average molecular weight of less than about 10,000 grams/mole, and an intermediate zone positioned between the inner zone and the outer zone having a weight average molecular weight and melt flow rate intermediate the inner zone and the outer zone. Moreover, the inner, core zone has a melting point and orientation that is higher than the outer surface zone.
Further, the above referred to Gupta et al. Application Ser. Nos. 08/003,696, 07/943,190 and 07/818,772 are directed to processes for spinning polypropylene fibers, and the resulting fibers and products made from such fibers. The processes of the Gupta et al. applications include melt spinning a polypropylene composition having a broad molecular weight distribution through a spinnerette to form molten fibers, and quenching the molten fibers to obtain thermally bondable polypropylene fibers. The processes of the Gupta et al. applications can be used in both a two step "long spin" process, as well as in a one step "short spin" process. According to certain aspects of the invention disclosed in the Gupta et al. applications substantially constant characteristics are maintained within the material forming the fiber, such as Theological polydispersity index and melt flow rate, as the material is extruded, quenched and drawn, and a substantially uniform fiber is obtained.
More specifically, with regard to known processes for making staple fiber, these processes include the older two-step "long spin" process and the newer one-step "short spin" process. The long spin process involves first melt-extruding fibers at typical spinning speeds of 500 to 3000 meters per minute, and more usually depending on the polymer to be spun from 500 to 1500 meters per minute. Additionally, in a second step usually run at 100 to 250 meters per minute, these fibers are drawn, crimped, and cut into staple fiber. The one-step short spin process involves conversion from polymer to staple fibers in a single step where typical spinning speeds are in the range of 50 to 200 meters per minute. The productivity of the one-step process is increased with the use of about 5 to 20 times the number of capillaries in the spinnerette compared to that typically used in the long spin process. For example, spinnerettes for a typical commercial "long spin" process would include approximately 50-4,000, preferably approximately 3,000-3,500 capillaries, and spinnerettes for a typical commercial "short spin" process would include approximately 500 to 100,000 capillaries preferably, about 30,000-70,000 capillaries. Typical temperatures for extrusion of the spin melt in these processes are about 250-325.degree. C. Moreover, for processes wherein bicomponent filaments are being produced, the numbers of capillaries refers to the number of filaments being extruded, and usually not the number of capillaries in the spinnerette.
The short spin process for manufacture of polypropylene fiber is significantly different from the conventional long spin process in terms of the quenching conditions needed for spin continuity. In the short spin process, with high hole density spinnerettes spinning around 100 meters/minute, quench air velocity is required in the range of about 3,000-8,000 ft/minute to complete fiber quenching within one inch below the spinnerette face. To the contrary, in the long spin process, with spinning speeds of about 1000-1500 meters/minute, a lower quench air velocity in the range of 300 to 500 ft./minute is used. Therefore, achieving a skin-core type fiber, such as that disclosed in the above-identified Kozulla applications (which controls quenching to achieve a delayed quenching) is difficult in a short spin process due to the high quench air velocity needed for the short spin process.
Apparatus and methods are also known for melt spinning of polymers to obtain certain advantages in the spinning process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,250 to Killoran et al. (Killoran), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, is directed to extrusion method and apparatus wherein contact of molten or plastic material with moving parts is avoided and the residence time of the polymer in the molten condition is kept to a minimum. Specifically, in the extrusion system of Killoran, the splined barrel is cooled, rather than heated, by a surrounding water-cooling jacket which carries away heat, so as to maintain the screw, barrel and powder at a temperature below the melting point of the lowest melting additive.
In describing the processing of polypropylene, Killoran teaches that the softening temperature of polypropylene is within the range from 168.degree. C. to 170.degree. C., and at this temperature the material becomes semi-plastic and sticky. Killoran further teaches that the temperature required for filtering and extrusion of polypropylene. may be as high as 280.degree. C., so that the temperature of the polypropylene is increased during the passage through perforations in the block from approximately 170.degree. C. to 270.degree. C., or 280.degree. C., that is, there is about 100.degree. C. rise from the initial softening at the entrance to the block to the molten condition at the outlet of the block. Therefore, the teachings of Killoran are limited to heating of the polymer from a solid condition to a molten condition to achieve a reduced amount of time that the polymer is in a molten condition, as well as to the prevent polymer in the molten condition from contacting moving elements.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,725 to Pierce, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, is directed to the melt-spinning of synthetic polymers, including polypropylene. According to the invention of Pierce, the spinnerette is designed so as to enable the use of polymers having higher melt viscosities, either from high molecular weight polymers or from polymers with stiff chain structures. Specifically, the spinnerette of Pierce is designed so as to permit the spinning of polymer having a high melt viscosity without degrading the polymer. To accomplish this lack of degradation of the polymer, Pierce passes the molten polymer through the filter holder at an initial temperature within a temperature range below that at which significant polymer degradation will occur, passes the polymer into a plurality of passages, each of which leads to a different spinning capillary in the spinnerette plate and has an entrance temperature within the initial temperature range, heats the spinnerette plate to increase the temperature along the passages from the temperature at the entrance to a temperature at least 60.degree. C. higher at the spinning capillary, and extrudes the polymer from the spinning capillary after a maximum of 4 seconds of travel through the heated passage. The quenching of Pierce is performed using inert gas and the process is accomplished using a long spin, two step process wherein the filaments are initially spun, and subsequently drawn.